Flashlights Review: Best Flashlight

Best key-ring flashlight

Reviews recommend this tiny LED flashlight for its adjustable brightness, tiny size and light weight. It's smaller than a quarter, durable and water-resistant. It throws usable light about 20 feet, and owners recommend it… for a walk at night or reading a map. You can even summon rescuers with a strobe mode, visible for about a mile. In addition to a key ring, the flashlight comes with a detachable magnetic clip and lanyard. It carries a lifetime warranty.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

FlashlightReviews.com: Flashlight enthusiast Doug Pribis reviews and rates hundreds of flashlights based on detailed technical tests, recommending the ...

ImagoMetrics.com: Based on technical and practical tests, this review calls the Photon Freedom Micro flashlight the "best in its class," giving it ...

BackpackingLight.com: Aimed at ultralight backpackers, this review tests the Photo Freedom LED flashlight for battery life and ease of use, finding ...

Backpack Gear Test: An experienced backpacker and gear tester provides a detailed review of the Photon Freedom Max flashlight for hiking and campsite ...

Dan's Data: Written by an independent reviewer of PC hardware and gadgets, this detailed and well-illustrated review compares the Photon ...

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PhotonLight- .com, Inc.

Best travel flashlight

Fenix P2D-CE

*Est. $55 Compare Prices

Judged the best everyday flashlight for a purse, glove compartment or backpack, reviews say the waterproof, shock-resistant Fenix P2D-CE uses a voltage regulator to keep light consistent as batteries fade. You can adjust… the LED brightness among three levels or use a strobe for emergencies. Though it's only 3.25 inches long, the medium setting puts out as much light as a big MagLite 3D. It offers plenty of run time for everyday use -- up to 30 hours at the lowest brightness setting. The Fenix P2D-CE carries a lifetime warranty.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

FlashlightReviews.com: Flashlight enthusiast Doug Pribis reviews and rates hundreds of flashlights based on detailed technical tests, recommending the ...

LEDMuseum.org: This review includes practical photos showing the size of the Fenix P2D-CE in relation to a hand, plus its beam width and ...

CPFReviews.com: This detailed, well-illustrated review gives the Fenix P2D CE especially high ratings for ease of use and value. You can create a ...

CandlePowerForums: In a forum devoted to flashlight enthusiasts, this well-illustrated review compares the Fenix P2D-CE with other Fenix ...

Amazon.com: The handful of owners reviewing the Fenix P2D-CE flashlight here give it rave reviews, with useful comparisons to other ...

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Amazon Marketplace

for $53.00

Best household LED flashlight

Streamlight ProPolymer 3C 33244

*Est. $40 Compare Prices

Good for use around the house and in the garage, this 10-inch flashlight has a sturdy, nonconductive polymer case, ideal for working around electrical wiring. It uses three C batteries, yet puts out as much light as a… bigger, heavier incandescent MagLite 3D. A voltage regulator keeps the light bright much longer than on a MagLite, and reviews say the single level of light is good for intermediate-range tasks such as cooking or changing a tire. The flashlight comes with a clip and lanyard, and it carries a lifetime warranty.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

FlashlightReviews.com: The Streamlight ProPolymer 3C flashlight is the top pick among household flashlights at this highly technical review site, based ...

Amazon.com: Only a handful of owners review the Streamlight ProPolymer 3C 33244 flashlight here, but they give it rave reviews, praising the ...

OpticsPlanet.net: Editors provide plenty of detail about the Streamlight ProPolymer 3C flashlight here, but the few owner-written reviews are ...

ProfessionalEquipment.com: A handful of owners review the Streamlight ProPolymer 3C LED flashlight here. One is disappointed in the beam's focus and ...

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Emergency crank flashlight

Electrilite Crank Flashlight

*Est. $20 Compare Prices

Reviews confirm that winding the handle of this five-LED flashlight for one minute charges its battery enough for about half an hour of bright light. For longer runtime, you can use fewer than all five LEDs. It's not… waterproof or built for lifetime durability, but since it can also charge most cell phones, this is a good supplementary flashlight. The Electrilite flashlight is covered by a 30-day refund policy.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

DigitalReviews.net: This detailed hands-on review confirms that one minute of cranking the 5-LED Electrilite flashlight produces a light that's quite ...

About.com/PC World: The Cell Phone Tips section of this article recommends the Electrilite flashlight for charging a cell phone. Tests here find that ...

PC Today: This article on wind-up emergency devices recommends the Electrilite flashlight for its compact size and unlimited cell phone ...

FlashlightMuseum.com: This brief review shows details of the wind-up Electrilite flashlight, with one reader commenting that he uses it to charge his ...

Kevin Kelley Cool Tools: Being recommended at this site carries some credibility, since Kevin Kelly, current editor at large for Wired magazine, edits it. ...

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Budget utility flashlight

Stanley MaxLife Tripod 369

*Est. $25 Compare Prices

Though we read complaints that the Stanley needs to be brighter, the MaxLife Tripod 369 has unusual versatility. You can use it as a handheld flashlight with the three aluminum legs folded together, or you can spread… them out for a hands-free work light. It can run from three, six or nine AA alkaline cells, and output light from one, three or all six LEDs. Runtime is very good, and it can operate for days from nine batteries. Some complain that the head pivots too easily and that there's no way to tighten it, however.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

FlashlightReviews.com: Based on a number of tests, flashlight enthusiast Doug Pribis notes a few drawbacks to the Stanley MaxLife 369 Tripod flashlight, ...

Amazon.com: Over 70 owners review the Stanley Tripod flashlight here. About 80 percent of the owners say they're satisfied, but some complain ...

Kevin Kelley Cool Tools: Recommendations at this site carry some credibility, since Kevin Kelly is current editor-at-large for Wired magazine. This review ...

Lowes.com: About a dozen owners rate the Stanley Tripod flashlight here, giving it especially high ratings for design and ease of use.

webBikeWorld: This well-illustrated review explains in detail how the Stanley Tripod flashlight works, including the "parallel technology" that ...

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Solar flashlight

BoGo Light

*Est. $25 Compare Prices

"BoGo" stands for "buy one give one," and buying one of these solar LED flashlights also gives one to a villager in a developing country (or to a serviceman in Iraq or Afghanistan), providing light to some of the 2… billion people who now burn kerosene for light. Eight hours of sunlight recharges the three AAA NiMH batteries enough for four or five hours of reading light.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

LEDMuseum.org: This well-illustrated review includes results of a battery-discharge test, showing the solar-charged batteries run about six ...

GreenDealsDaily.com: This brief review gives the BoGo solar flashlight top ratings for value and quality, with slightly lower ratings for ...

Kevin Kelley Cool Tools: This reviewer likes to hang the BoGo solar flashlight over the bed for reading at night, saying it's plenty bright enough. The ...

Vision Magazine: This moving article doesn't evaluate the BoGo solar flashlight for its performance, but makes a convincing case for the health ...

The New York Times: This article is not a product review. Instead, the feature describes outreach efforts in Africa to provide solar flashlights to ...

Time magazine: This article covers the development of the new SuperBoGo Light with many improvements, including extra LEDs for illuminating a ...

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